Superman on Television

Supergirl: Episode Reviews

Season 6 - Episode 16: "Nightmare in National City"

Originally Aired: October 19, 2021
WRITTEN BY: Rob Wright and Jess Kardos
DIRECTED BY: Eric Dean Seaton

REGULAR CAST:
Melissa Benoist (Kara Danvers/Supergirl)
Chyler Leigh (Alex Danvers)
Jesse Rath (Brainiac 5)
Katie McGrath (Lena Luthor)
Nicole Maines (Nia Nal/Dreamer)
David Harewood (J'onn J'onnz)
Azie Tesfai (Kelly Olsen/Guardian)
Staz Nair (William Day)

GUEST STARS:
Julie Gonzalo (Andrea Rojas)
Peta Sergeant (Nxylgsptinz)
Hannah James (Maeve Nal)
Jon Cryer (Lex Luthor)

Rating - 4 (out of 5): I will admit that I thought this storyline was going to fall apart by now, but it hasn't. The writing has been getting progressively stronger and they are doing things with the characters that are not only interesting but also bold and surprising.

Kara quitting CatCo should have been the best part of this episode. It wasn't, but that doesn't mean I didn't like how everything played out. To be honest, I thought making Kara a journalist was an interesting idea that the show never built to its full potential. CatCo seemed more like a static set that the writers could use to get the characters together. I'm not saying that it never worked or that it hasn't served any useful purpose, but as far as Kara being a reporter? That never clicked with me. Her quitting was a positive move for the character. With the exception of William Day, all of her personal relationships happen outside of work with the Super Friends and now that they've established that William has close ties with the group CatCo isn't needed.

And...you know...the series is wrapping up. So, there's that.

The best part of the episode was Nia reuniting with her sister. The writers could have easily fallen into the trope of having them reunite, fight a bit, and then make up with everything ending up fine and dandy, dandy and fine, but that's not what happened. Instead, the sisters seemed to be on that path, but then Maeve tried to steal the Dream McGuffin, proving that she still had a long way to go. The fact that Nia refused to forgive her was a bold choice. I'm not saying Nia should never forgive Maeve, but between the "you're not even a real woman" line and the whole trying to steal her way into having the abilities that she felt were hers by right I totally saw why Nia chose to not forgive, but instead gave her the chance to start again. It felt raw and real, and it gives Nia a depth that made me like the character even more than I already did.

Nxly continues to be a fun big bad and I have to admit that Lex getting into the mix makes me happy. I've missed him this season, but to be fair, the story hasn't needed him yet. I'm 100 percent sure he is going to double cross Nxly, but it will be fun to see those characters bounce off each other for a few episodes.

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